


Subtle, Very Subtle

by reyzul (MaK)



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Crush, F/F, Unfinished, won't be finished
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 09:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6232525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaK/pseuds/reyzul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pearl is eye-catching.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Subtle, Very Subtle

There was a number of things Peridot was willing to admit. 

For just a few, she was willing to acknowledge that: she's an official traitor to her Homeworld, there's no possible way she could ever seek forgiveness from Yellow Diamond, and - though it took time for her to reach this point - that she doesn't want that forgiveness anyway. She would also be willing to admit that she really does quite like those patterned shorts she had once torn up and has since gone around Beach City in an attempt to find a similar pair, though she's come up empty handed. If someone were to ever be inclined to ask, Peridot would also admit that she had a preference towards the canine specimen on Earth rather than the feline species that roamed around, seeing as the canines were more likely to allow her to pat their furry heads than the felines were and, well, she appreciated that (she did note, however, that the canines never seemed to respond when she voiced this appreciation, as they instead continued to wag their tails and stare up at her blankly). 

On the other hand, there was also quite a few things that Peridot was content with keeping to herself. She had, while folding laundry, ripped one of Steven's shirts and, without knowing what to do with it and not wanting to get caught with the ruined tapestry, threw it away from the washer and dryer and let the shirt get carried off in the wind (despite her anxiety about it, no one ever noticed or called her out on this incident). She was also the culprit behind stealing one of Lion's ice cream pops and went through a great deal of stress in an attempt to explain how, oh goodness, _no_ , the ice cream wrapper in her hand had nothing to do with the missing ice cream from the fridge - really, how silly for them to ever think so! Except, it wasn't silly and it really was her doing. She would also never admit that she actually really, really, really liked that frozen treat and has used a great deal of self-control to stop herself from taking more from the fridge.

Of course, there was more to add to both categories of the things Peridot would and wouldn't be willing to talk about. She was willing to say she still had much to learn about Earth, but wasn't willing to phrase it as: "I don't know much of anything about this dirtball." However, at the forefront of her mind, she was debating with herself as to whether or not she was really able to admit one, specific something to anyone but herself. 

It was easy to acknowledge on her own. Though she no longer had the logs that had been recorded with her limb enhancers' technology, she was able to gather from her own recordings on the device gifted from Steven that many of her opinions had changed over time - more importantly, the opinions of those around her. She liked everyone a considerable amount more than she had at the beginning (which was obvious, or so she hoped). Though she still wasn't close to with The Dad - or Greg, as everyone else refers to him - or with any of Steven's other friends, she had grown to become more open to those interactions and not act so immediately hostile to strangers. More, _more_ importantly, though, was that Peridot started to honestly like the company she already had with Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, and -

Pearl. 

Peridot swallowed. It was louder than it should have been, but no one seemed to notice. Working on the drill had been put on hold for a day of rest and to celebrate the accomplishment of being just about finished with it; the "rest" was still at the barn, where Peridot couldn't help but continue to tinker away at the drill, but most everyone was relaxing otherwise. 

The Dad - or Greg, apparently - was nearby and had brought Connie along too, so Steven was preoccupied with the company of his human counterparts. 

Peridot had definitely seen Garnet at some point in the morning, but the tallest gem of the team had since disappeared and, when Peridot had asked Amethyst the inquiry of, "Where does she even go all the time?" had, evidently, been up to her own schedule for the rest of the day (or, that was how Amethyst summed it up, at least). 

Meanwhile, after having answered the previous question, Amethyst went to the boardwalk. Presumably, for food or for her sport of "wrestling." Truthfully, Peridot still wasn't sure of what "wrestling" was, though she had asked Amethyst and others for a thorough explanation multiple times, but it had to be at least somewhat cool - and, if not that, entertaining - if Amethyst was willing to devote as much time to it as she does. 

Lastly, Pearl. 

The pale gem was close by - almost too close. 

They were practically working back-to-back; Peridot did her best to not think too much about the short distance between them as she worked on the control panel for the drill, busying her fingers (and her mind) with wires and calculations. Pearl worked on a smaller, less destructive version of the drill - a sort of prototype and model that would be used to demonstrate their current construction of the device and see if it would function properly under certain pressures as it neared the Earth's depths. 

Really, Peridot wasn't paying too much attention to what the other gem was doing; it was worthwhile and important for the overall project, yes, but if she were to busy her mind too long with thoughts of the pale gem beside her, then... She'd become distracted, to say the least. Which is why her hands are so furiously digging through tangled wires of red, blue, and green, pretending to actually care about how neat the varied strings looked when finally hidden away with the panel's back piece screwed on. 

Though, untangled wires would certainly be something Pearl would appreciate, despite not actually being able to see the wires once the drill was completely put together. Peridot figured the pale gem was a bit strange in that way - desiring perfection as she did, even when there was no real positive outcome from achieving it other than the simple knowledge that she had done it in the first place. Peridot had also taken notice that Pearl was certainly strange in other ways, too - not that that was bad, quite the contrary, but just that such traits of her character were definitely rare. It was fitting, after all, for a renegade pearl to step outside the boundaries of what was considered "normal" to the rest of the gem culture, but Peridot couldn't help but continue to find some of the things she did to be fascinating. Sword fighting, for one; dancing, too, in the way that Pearl performed it; the obvious mechanical skill she possessed was impressively strange, too. 

Alongside talents and weird habits, Pearl had other obsessions that caught Peridot's attention. The need for symmetry was odd - again, one of those things Pearl did that had no positive outcome other than the knowledge of simply knowing it had been done at all. Cleanliness, too; which wasn't all that weird and Peridot certainly appreciated it for the general idea of keeping the area relatively sorted, but it was strange when compared to the orderliness her companions kept up with - that is, Amethyst with little disregard and Garnet only caring so much for Steven's necessary safety. As well, though it wasn't much of an obsession, it was something that had caught Peridot's eye once again: Pearl's _affections_.

 _No, no_ \- Peridot backtracked, clearing her mind with a brief sigh. _That was the wrong word._ It was somewhat close, though; Pearl had a tendency to show fondness towards others in a way that Peridot felt was a little bit more... abundant. While it wasn't outright weird, Pearl certainly hung onto those closest to her when the chance arose - and Peridot dutifully noted here that, when the chance did arise, Pearl only ever clung onto another gem (or sometimes Steven, but that was only if safety was a forefront concern) and clearly avoided any of the human males (like The Dad - Greg! - or the supposed Mayor). It was an interesting observation, to say the least. Peridot also observed that, when the few times the one Pearl chose to cling onto was _her_ , she could feel her flat chest press against her shoulder and - well, that would leave her breathless for a little while. Sometimes, Pearl could get carried away enough to outright pick Peridot up; it was embarrassing, sort of, but not unpleasant, and Peridot was willing to sacrifice some of her dignity for that kind of affection every now and again.


End file.
